Message from SIG Chair
Message from SIG Chair
 
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SIG Chair
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Message from the Chair 

Zhongfeng Tian638614129078305334

Greetings BER SIG Members,

I am deeply honored and thrilled to serve as Chair of the BER SIG for the 2024-2025 term. It is with immense gratitude that I accept this role, and I sincerely thank you for the trust you have placed in me. Together, I believe we can further our collective mission, driving forward transformative, justice-oriented research and advocacy in bilingual and multilingual education. This is a pivotal moment for us as a community, and I am excited to collaborate with all of you in continuing to advance our shared goals.

The theme for the 2025 AERA Annual Meeting, Research, Remedy, and Repair: Toward Just Education Renewal,” resonates profoundly with our SIG’s purpose and energizes our collective commitment. As a vibrant and growing community of scholars and practitioners, we are called to critically examine and interrogate the institutions, policies, and practices that impact bilingual and multilingual learners. This theme serves as a proactive call to action for us to remedy and repair systemic injustices, fostering socially just futures for historically marginalized learners. Through innovative research and diverse onto-epistemological perspectives, we seek to spark meaningful change, shaping a more inclusive and equitable educational landscape.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Lau v. Nichols, a landmark Supreme Court decision that transformed the landscape of bilingual education in the U.S. The legacy of Lau urges us to continue advancing education that honors and uplifts the linguistic and cultural assets of bilingual and multilingual students. While progress has been made, the challenges that prompted Lau still resonate today, as assimilationist approaches and limited perspectives on language persist in education. Our work is to confront these ongoing issues, not just to rectify past injustices but to reimagine a future where bilingual education fully embraces students’ linguistic diversity as a foundation for their success.

We are navigating a time of flux and transformation, where post-pandemic realities, racial injustices, and political tensions intersect with new waves of innovation, such as the rise of generative AI. This dynamic environment presents us with significant opportunities as well as challenges. However, even amidst this uncertainty, our core mission remains clear: to uplift and better serve minoritized bilingual communities, amplifying their voices in both education and society. To achieve this, we must diversify our inquiries and approaches, recognizing that holistic, collaborative solutions are essential to dismantling systemic inequities. Our work requires the active engagement of all educational stakeholders—teachers, students, families, communities, scholars, administrators, and policymakers—working together to challenge deficit narratives and envision transformative practices. Whether your focus is on policy reform, innovative pedagogies, or community-based initiatives, your contributions are crucial. By embracing interdisciplinary and intersectional perspectives, we can create spaces for radical transformation and hope. Let’s continue pushing boundaries, disrupting inequities, and collaboratively advancing the well-being and thriving of bilingual and multilingual learners as we strive to remedy, repair, and renew educational systems for all.

As we embark on this new academic year, I invite each of you to actively engage in our SIG’s initiatives. Whether by joining one of our working groups, serving on award committees, or nominating yourself or a colleague for the BER SIG Executive Leadership Team, your participation will strengthen our community. By lifting each other up and sharing our collective knowledge and resources, we can create a supportive, empowering environment that continues to dismantle barriers and advance educational justice. 

Thank you for being a part of this vibrant community. I am truly excited about the work ahead and the incredible contributions we will make together. As we move forward, let’s continue to build on our strength and dedication, aiming to maintain our position as one of the most dynamic SIGs within AERA. Welcome back to an impactful year within the BER SIG!

In Solidarity,
Zhongfeng Tian 田中锋

Chair, Bilingual Education Research (BER) SIG, 2024-2025

zhongfeng.tian@rutgers.edu